White Paper

People-Centric CyberSecurity: A study of IT Security leaders in the UAE

The cyber threat landscape in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is rapidly evolving, with cybercriminals increasingly targeting people rather than infrastructure. 

From email-based threats, such as Business Email Compromise attacks (BEC), to credential phishing, compromised cloud accounts and debilitating ransomware attacks, cybercriminals are aware that employees can easily be tricked.

To better understand how people-centric cyber-attacks are impacting organizations, Proofpoint commissioned a survey of 150 CSOs/CISOs across the UAE in March 2020, which explores three key areas:

  • Frequency of cyber attacks
  • Employee and organizational preparedness
  • Challenges to implementing cyber strategies

The study found that the need to protect people from imminent threats has never been greater, with 82% of organizations in the UAE experiencing at least one cyber attack in 2019. From board level buy-in, to upping cybersecurity awareness training, organizations in the UAE need to take steps to shore up their cyber defenses. 

This report highlights these and other key insights from the survey.